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Awesome flesh-burning death lamp. (Germicidal UV)

11 videos recommended on HN
YouTube
1 HN user recommended this demo1 month2018–2024 score 1
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

HN points to BigClive as a source for how cheap UVC lamps actually work and what they emit.

BigClive tears down and tests a germicidal UVC lamp from eBay that floods a room with narrow-band ultraviolet and ozone. He warns of the eye and skin hazards.

“BigClive has some interesting videos on these kinds of lights” (HN, 2023)

1 recommendations · 2 citations · Demos

3 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@dwroberts Nov 2023 Recommends
on HN thread
BigClive has some interesting videos on these kinds of lights [this video] He also works in events/lighting and has mentioned the risk of events inadvertently sourcing 'cool-looking' lights without understanding what they actually are (germicidal UV lights)
BigClive has interesting videos on germicidal UV lights

Citations, criticism and jokes

@namibj Oct 2018 Cites it
on HN thread Sunshine Helps Kill Germs Indoors
E27 UVC lamps, basically in this case a long CFL with proper UV quartz glass, but without the fluorescent coating, seem to be popular in china to be screwed into the ceiling. See biglive about it: [this video]
BigClive on E27 UVC lamps popular in China
@byb Jan 2024 Cites it
on HN thread Can ultraviolet lightbulbs end the next pandemic before it starts?
Read more
Personally I feel the use of the term "far uv" is very misleading because the 220 nm wavelength is within UVC, and not too far away from 254 nm germicidal UVC. It is always helpful to consult a chart: [link] So, from a public health/public education standpoint, I find it troubling that scientific research, which the article points out, is limited in this area. For decades, general advice has been that all UVC is dangerous to all life. We don't know below which wavelength does UVC no longer become harmful to animal (human) cells. Nor do we know if 220 nm wavelength light damage/weaken other materials. I'm not a chemist/engineer so I don't know if theoretical calculations can be made or if a massive scientific effort needs to be done to verify the impact of 220 nm UV light on lots of materials/life. If there is an animal/human cell safety region, perhaps a rebranding or subdivision of UVC into a "UV-D" is better than calling this "far uv". This has the added benefit of the "D" meaning "Death to germs/viruses". YouTuber Big Clive has had several videos on UVC lamps, I'd like to see someone get a 220 nm light into his hands to see if he smells like burnt meat. [this video] [link] Edit: maybe I am a bit alarmist, some comments did share additional information about products offering this technology... I still hold that the branding/messaging is a problem by lumping it all together
BigClive has made several videos on UVC lamps

Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.

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